My Take -> Week 12

Greetings, G-Force.

Well. That was ugly. A putrid performance. Shutout by a significantly below average Ravens team. At Lambeau Field. Amazingly, all hope is not lost. In fact, even if the Steelers drop 50 on us this Sunday and we fall to 5-6, we will still have a breathe. We have to beat Tampa and Cleveland and then hope the magical #12 is fit enough to come back.

As I write, I listen to John Denver’s Greatest Hits. Sitting in West Virginia, his music rings smoothly. And, yes, John: It’s “Almost Heaven.”

Here are my quick vibes from the last week:

Mike McCarthy trusted his QB. After Hundley fooled him with his impressive 4th Quarter play at Chicago. Suddenly, McCarthy had enhanced faith in his QB. Hundley quickly proved that he wasn’t a worthwhile QB. McCarthy has to be angry with himself for unleashing Hundley.

As I wrote before the game, the Packers had to protect the football against Baltimore. The Ravens feast on turnovers. Hundley was careless throughout. His interception on the first drive had me asking “if and only if” as I watched the rest of the game.

Devante Mays. What a disaster.

Jamaal Williams showed glimpses of being a legitimate RB, once again.

Davante Adams is earning himself a large contract.

Jordy Nelson was wide open for a deep TD. Hundley overthrew him. Would’ve been a game turning play.

HaHa made one beautiful interception. Should’ve had a second, too.

Clay looked dominant. Then, he got hurt. Looks like he’s going to miss the game this week as well. Need to be able to depend on him. He’s making it tough again.

Nick Perry showed moments of greatness.

Mike Daniels played another great game.

Hated seeing Kenny Clark getting hurt. He continues to be a bright spot for this defense.

Dean Lowry flashed again. He’s playing with power. He’s winning his one-on-one battle, but struggles when he meets the double team.

Stating the obvious: Brett Hundley is not ready to lead an NFL team. He seems to lack intelligence. He can’t read pre-snap defenses. He struggles to read the secondary and whether they are playing zone or man to man. He holds onto the ball too long. He appears to have very little football instincts. He’s not comfortable with the speed of the game.

With Aaron Rodgers, Jordy was a lethal target. With Hundley, Jordy is non-existent. Why won’t Hundley look his way?

This week - it’s the Steelers. In Pittsburgh. I’ll forever view the XLV Super Bowl as one of the most thrilling days of my life.

I’ll be at the Sunday Night battle. Excited to take in a game under the lights between these two historical titans. Speaking of Titans, the last time I saw the Packers play on the road was in Tennessee. The Packers gave up 47 points. After the Pittsburgh game, I suppose it’s possible that the Packers will have given up more than 100 combined points over a 2-game stretch in which I traveled to see the Packers. Let’s hope not. But, it’s certainly possible.

See, while the Packers are banged up, the Steelers are mostly healthy. They’ll have Bell, Ben, Brown and Bryant raging to go. 4/5 of their dominant OL will be in-tact. With Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro; the interior of the Steelers OL is as good as it gets in the NFL. The Steelers also will have TE's Jesse James and Vance McDonald as reliable targets for Big Ben. 10 of the 11 Steelers starters on offense will be ready to go. Top back-up WR, JuJu Smith-Schuster will miss the game, but Eli Rogers is a reliable slot WR and he'll be a dangerous target on 3rd down.

Defensively, the Steelers are healthy as well. They'll be missing their #1 CB, Joe Haden. But, otherwise, they'll be fit and ready to ball out. Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt are top-tier 3-4 DL. Javon Hargrave is a fast ascending pass rushing 3-4 DT. At LB, the Steelers have mastered the speed/size/muscle combination required to dominate the 3-4. Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams are studs at ILB. And, at OLB, the Steelers are thick with depth. TJ Watt, James Harrison, Bud Dupree, Anthony Chickillo and Arthur Moats all fit the mold of an ideal 3-4 OLB. At CB, they are vulnerable. Mike Hilton has made plays, but he can be beaten. With Haden out, Artie Burns is their best CB. At Safety, the Steelers are physical with two intimidating presences in Sean Davis and Mike Mitchell.

Let's be real. This has the feeling of a game in which it's a complete celebration for the Steel City. They're under the lights. In prime time. Poised to roll. Playing as well as anyone in football. They're seemingly positioned to drop 50 points on the Packers. We're banged up and appear to be mentally defeated.

But, maybe, just maybe, the Packers will show up inspired to represent in McCarthy's home town.

Maybe, just maybe, the Packers will take advantage of the Steelers back-up RT. Nick Perry and Ahmad Brooks win with speed.

Maybe, just maybe, Mike Daniels dominates the interior and gets in Big Ben's face. And, as we've seen before, if you get in Big Ben's face, he'll make mistakes. And, maybe, just maybe, we return one of those mistakes for a TD. We're going to need a special teams TD or a defensive TD in order to win this week.

Maybe, just maybe, Brett Hundley finds accuracy on the deep ball. I believe that the Steelers will struggle to cover the Packers on the outside. I expect the Steelers to load the box. I'd be sending Nelson, Allison and Adams on go-routes. I'd like to see Hundley try the 15-yard back shoulder throw.

Maybe, just maybe, Jamaal Williams pounds away at the Steelers DL. We've seen the Steelers defense be vulnerable to the run this year. Maybe Williams gets himself into a foot race in the secondary and busts one loose.

Meanwhile, between each snap, the Packers are eating up clock. Slowing the pace of the game. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Maybe, just maybe, the Packers defense will keep the Steelers out of the end zone early in the game. They're holding the Steelers to 3 instead of 7.

And, if these things happen, any thing is possible. With the season hanging by a thread, is Crosby true from 43 and the win?

Packers 24.
Steelers 23.

Go Pack Go!

Talkin' S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.com